Hours after abducted lawyer Abshir Abdi resurfaced alive, State agencies on Friday mounted a united legal front against attempts by the advocate and his friend Ayub Maalim to recount their 11-day ordeal before the High Court.

What began as a desperate search for two missing men has now turned into a courtroom battle over whether Kenyans will hear a first-hand account of who allegedly abducted them, where they were held and what happened during their days in captivity.